MekongEye/PrachathaiEnglish-Nov 10, 2025
After Thailand signed a controversial rare earths Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the US, a network of civil society organizations has demanded that the MOU be repealed, raising concerns that it would violate Thailand’s mineral and mining laws and have a destructive impact on the environment. The Thai NGO Coordinating Committee on Development (NGO-COD) and the Network of People Who Own Mineral Resources went to the US Embassy in Bangkok on 30 October to submit their petition calling for the repeal of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation to Diversify Global Critical Minerals Supply Chains, commonly known as the “rare earths MOU,” which was signed by Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and US President Donald Trump at the 47thASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Juthamat Srihattapadungkit from the Network of People Who Own Mineral Resources said that the MOU does not concern only rare earths, but also over 60 other “Critical Minerals.” She said that the Network is calling the repeal of the MOU because they are concerned that it would worsen the environmental impact already faced by communities living along the Sai, Kok, Ruak, and Mekong rivers. Due to rare earths mining in neighboring countries, communities are facing the impact of heavy metal contamination in these rivers. She said that signing the MOU shows that the Prime Minister does not care about solving pollution issues in Thailand but is about to make the matter worse. Juthamat noted that rare earths and critical minerals are often found in the north of Thailand and in the South along the Andaman Sea. The latter is very important for Thailand’s tourism industry, she said, and the Network is concerned that many of Thailand’s most popular tourism destinations would be turned into mines. Read more at: https://prachataienglish.com/node/11645
